Hiei's Devotion
by Kohaku Hoshi
Summary: A tale of Hiei's love and devotion to Mukuro. Rated for strong content. dedicated to all the HiMuku fans out there! Love to Eri and Taki, two hardcore HiMuku fans. First chapter shorter than ones following. Complete.
1. Love and Lust

Hiei's Devotion chapter 1: Love and Lust

----

I don't own squat, okay? Now get off my back. -Kohaku

---

When I poured the acid, it instantly set each of my nerves on fire. With the first drop, I wanted to stop. It hurt so badly, but this pain was a cleansing pain; it would free me. The pain seared every fiber of me, and flooded my being... Free.

My freedom had never been realized totally, until Hiei, my heir, had broken my shackles, and made me feel the freedom from my mind and past. He, the uncaring diminutive smartass, had brought me a birthday gift, a touching gesture. I rolled this over in my mind as I fell into a light sleep.

"Mukuro," said a deep voice. I hadn't heard Hiei come in while I was dozing. I looked up at him. He was wearing his usual dark clothing, and looked slightly pensive. He had a right to be. The last time he had approached me in one of my moods, he got a hole punched in his stomach.

"What do you want, Hiei?"

"I just came to see how you were today. Today's job failed to yield any humans."

I softened just slightly. I was oddly touched by Hiei's declaration that he had come to see me. No one dared to come see me in one of my moods. I sighed, indicating the corner of my bed, and Hiei obeyed instantly. He sat, careful not to get too close to me - he knew better not to get too near.

"You were thinking about your past again," he said without looking at me. "I wish," he continued, "I wish you'd focus on your future. I just want you to find your way in life that does not involve brooding over the terrible things that you've been through. You won't find any happiness that way." I started. This was Hiei, talking about my happiness? I was knocked right off my rocker.

In an instant, I had slammed him on his back onto my bed. I was livid. I just wanted to kill this annoyance before I saw his eyes. Those deep crimson pools, like blood - though having seen horrors upon horrors - were true and honest. His intentions were as pure as newly fallen snow. I hesitated, and, slowly, my lips found his, despite the fact that I would not be opposed to killing him right then and there. My kiss of death.

He was surprisingly warm. Why did this feel right? He was laying there, accepting what I was doing, just as surprised as I. His unfailing devotion to me shone through the animalistic, cruel nature of our embrace. I savaged his mouth with mine, drawing blood from his soft, willing lips. I pulled back with the blood on my own mouth.

"Is that all, Mukuro?" asked Hiei.

"Go. Just go."

He left me.

When I finally felt like I was in a decent mood, Hiei was gone on a job. I emerged from my chambers, and greeted by my men. Wordlessly, I passed them, and went into Hiei's room. He rarely used it, preferring instead the outdoors. But still, it smelled of him. Pine - he smelled like pine and smoke. A fitting smell for a man who dealt in the art of Makai fire. I sat on the bed, thinking of the owner.

A wild, fleeting thought came into my head. What if I made Hiei my mate instead of my heir? I toyed with the notion for awhile, mentally checking off the pros and cons. Hiei cared about me. He freed me. He... gave me peace of mind for my birthday. Then the cons came rushing in. I was ugly. Why would Hiei look upon my scarred flesh, or touch it in lust? Could he even bear to touch me? Could I even bring myself to... to...? My insecurities washed over me.

I waited until Hiei got back, and summoned him into my chambers. I had tea ready for him.

"I'm glad to see you're in a good mood today, Mukuro," said Hiei. I gave a slight twitch of the mouth to affirm this.

"About the kiss..."

"It's all right." A slight smirk played on his lips. "I was wondering why you didn't sooner." The sheer nerve of him! But... that's what I was attracted to. I stepped over to him, and threw him in the general direction of my bed. That cinched the deal. I would have him for a mate if it killed me.

----

I took Mukuro's punishing blows as she coupled violently with me. I laid there, accepting it; I wanted it. I wanted Mukuro to take all her pain and need and put it into me.

I am that devoted to Mukuro - my liege lady. I had come to her with my own subtle feelings for her, and succeeded in getting her to unload her burden onto me. I would take Mukuro's scars for her if I could.

She collapsed onto me after, sweating. I could tell that, while she derived little pleasure from the act, she had successfully released her pent up feelings. Maybe I could take this opportunity to show her what real love was like, unlike the hideous brand of physical love her father had given her.

After I had succeeded in showing her true passion, and she laid asleep in my arms, I truly smiled. My love was asleep in my arms, and at ease. Her darkness had been chased away one more time.

Someday, the scars in my marred beauty's heart would heal, and until then - and even longer after still - I would further show my lady my utter devotion.

To Be continued


	2. Love and Mystery

Hiei's devotion, chapter two: Love and Mystery

Deep in the Makai, two figures flitted about. Closer in, faint sounds of punches landing and the thud of trees echoed as they seemingly broke in two and hit the ground with a cloud of dust. The figures revealed themselves as male and female, one small yet powerfully built, the other a rather well proportioned woman. They face off and the woman brushed her orange bangs out of her face. Mukuro and Hiei were sparring again.

However, the mood wasn't completely serious. Mellow expressions alternated with the looks of concentration. If you looked closely, some of the movements weren't related to the sparring at all. For instance, several beckoning gestures and smirks made their way into the fight. Then, one could have sworn hands wandered beyond initial points of contact, possibly into risqué territory.

Rumors flew through Makai, curious rumors. Rumors that astonished even hardened, world-weary old demons. Rumors of Mukuro, the impassible former ruler and Hiei, the hardened young criminal, caught in the bounds of an emotion that many of the toughest demons despised. Love.

As it turned out, it was completely true. However, they had a very strange way of showing it to each other. They very rarely used words, only a mutual understanding. Hiei had understood that Mukuro had to be the first to initiate a sexual relationship, or there would never be any trust between the two. She had to be sure in her very core that he was not there merely to use her. She understood that he needed to feel secure enough to show her the emotions that his pride had shut out from everyone else (barring Yukina.)

Non-sparring movements became more apparent after some time passed. Hands landed on parts one would not normally touch during a fight, and one could see the tension building as the flirting touches became clearer.

Finally, Hiei rebounded from a tree at Mukuro after she had sent him flying, and his hands took her shoulders, and they both tumbled to the ground. Immediately, arms wrapped around each other and passionate kisses began. Hands tugged at clothing, and revealed flesh was promptly given attention by hands and lips.

Both of the lovers wrestled for dominance, in the spirit of the previous sparring. Garments flew in all directions in the frenzy, and falling back onto Hiei's discarded cloak, they coupled under a clump of bushes in a clearing only a little bigger than the both of them.

When they finally emerged from their clearing and entered the fortress, Mukuro's soldiers stood at attention as the couple passed, refraining from any expression despite the strong smell of sex that emanated from the both of them. They stood like that until Mukuro and Hiei had entered their private chambers. They relaxed, and gave knowing looks among themselves.

They mostly approved the relationship between their mistress and Hiei. After all, he kept her anger from being directed at any of them. However, they thought she had become weaker, as the strength that came from her rage had disappeared. The couple in the bedchamber could care less what the soldiers outside them thought, as they curled up together to dream peaceful dreams, a pleasant development since they began their relationship.

-----

Time passed, as it tends to do. Things were routine around the fortress, with the duty of fetching lost humans and returning them to their home plane. When the day came that it was interrupted, Hiei knew something was afoot.

One morning, Hiei woke beside Mukuro, and instead of nestled beside him as she always was as they slept, she was huddled at the edge in a semi-fetal position.

"Mukuro?" he queried, patting her shoulder. The effect was immediate.

"Leave me alone!" she snarled, backhanding him and sending him smack into the wall.

Hiei hovered nearby, though out of her reach, the anxiousness beginning to show in his face. Mukuro looked rather pale, and her youki seemed strangely low for her emotional state. Before, when she was moody, her youki was at his highest. This was not a good sign.

She refused to rise until it was nearly afternoon, and then she shut herself in the bathroom. When she emerged, she looked tired and somewhat ill. She walked over to Hiei and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Hiei..." she groaned quietly. Her expression was soft and gentle, and her manner suggested she wanted comforting. Hiei obliged her by taking her into his arms and holding her to his heart. Hiei stroked her hair with a slightly worried expression.

"Are you not feeling well?" he asked.

Mukuro shook her head. "I feel fine," she said. "Just a bit tired."

For several days, Mukuro was as normal, and then the events preceding occurred again. After her seclusion in the bathroom, Mukuro emerged wanting more than just hugs. Hiei was reluctant to oblige her, until he noticed a tear sliding down her unmarred cheek.

"You don't want me?" she asked, her voice wavering.

"Of course I do," replied Hiei.

"Then why won't you make love to me?"

"You're acting strangely, and I'm concerned."

Mukuro's undamaged eye filled with tears. "Please, Hiei."

Hiei sighed and kissed her forehead as he folded her in his arms, and took her to bed. She lay under him, staring at his face the entire time. She insisted on him staying close as possible for the rest of the evening into the night, until she finally dropped off to sleep.

The next day, Mukuro felt like her usual self, albeit slightly grumpy. Hiei informed her he intended to make a brief visit to the Ningenkai, and only got a grunt in response. He nodded, and took his leave. He needed to figure out this mystery, and solving it meant a serious blow to his pride, but for Mukuro's sake, he would bear it.

-----

About the time Hiei entered the human world that day, Yuusuke scrubbed drool off his shirt with a wet napkin. Yuusuke Urameshi considered himself the epitome of cool, but today his pride took a serious hit as Kuwabara laughed at him, along with the source of the drool, nine month old Sasuke Urameshi. The infant squealed with delight at the disgusted look on his father's face.

"Just you wait till you and Yukina have kids!" snapped Yuusuke. "I hope they piss on you!"

"Kids?" Kuwabara's eyes sparkled, while his face flushed. "With Yukina? Oh, I can't wait!"

"Hiei would kill you if he knew that," smirked Yuusuke.

Kuwabara snorted. "Let him!"

---

When Yukina had realized that Hiei was her brother, and told Kuwabara, he had thought his world was ending. He had a choice to make, his love for Yukina or his life. He realized then that Yukina was the most important person in the world to him besides his family. He would die a thousand deaths if it meant her happiness.

Yukina didn't quite understand what Kuwabara meant when he proposed to her. After his initial face faulting, he explained as best he could what marriage was. Her face had lit up when he got to the part about settling down and having children. "I love babies!" she had cried in delight. "Of course, Kazuma!" Kuwabara had nearly died of happiness.

Despite her sweetness, and his love, the marriage had not been without difficulty. On their honeymoon, Yukina had realized they were to perform the act that had created herself and her brother, she became frightened. This was supposed to be an evil, sinful, painful ordeal. However, Kuwabara had explained that all humans and most demon species had intercourse to produce offspring, and that almost all enjoyed it. He also reminded her of who should she trust; him, who loved her with all his heart, or those cruel ice maidens who had thrown her brother mercilessly to his death.

Now that that was over, Kuwabara was in heaven. He came home every day to the cheerful words "welcome home, Kazuma!" Recently they also began attempting to conceive children, much to Yuusuke's disgust. "The thought of you naked is enough to make a serial killer sick," he had informed Kuwabara. Kuwabara had scoffed at that. The thought of Yuusuke naked was even more horrifying.

---

Kuwabara checked his watch. "Gah! I'm going to be late for dinner with Yukina; I said I'd take her out to eat tonight." He gulped down the rest of his drink and bolted.

Yuusuke turned to little Sasuke. "Shall we go, kiddo?" he asked. Sasuke let out a fart in response. Yuusuke scooped up baby and diaper bag and made his way home.

---

"Keiko, I'm home!" called Yuusuke as he brought Sasuke inside.

"Welcome home!" said Keiko, wiping her hands off with a dishtowel as she stepped out of the kitchen to greet him. "Thank you for watching Sasuke today for me, Yuusuke."

Yuusuke grinned, and gave her a sloppy kiss. "No problem, babe."

Keiko giggled. "You might want to hold off on that, because we have a guest."

"A guest?"

Keiko indicated the door. "Hiei's here."

Yuusuke did a double take. "Hiei?" he gasped.

Keiko nodded. "He said he needs to ask you something."

"Oh, right..." Yuusuke said weakly.

When he had recovered sufficiently, he went to the living room, where Hiei sat, sipping a cup of coffee. When he saw Yuusuke, he set the cup and saucer onto the table.

"You needed to ask me something?" asked Yuusuke.

Hiei nodded. "About women."

Yuusuke's expression changed, and his face twitched, and he laughed so hard his sides ached.

"What's so funny?" growled Hiei.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you about sex?" laughed Yuusuke.

Hiei bared his fangs. "I know what sex is, asshole. I need to know something about the behavior of women."

Yuusuke ceased laughing. "Oh..." he said, taking on a serious look once more. "Why?"

Hiei grunted. "Mukuro is acting strangely."

"Mukuro? She's usually pretty cold, isn't she?"

Hiei shrugged. "She's been both clingy, and trying to kill me."

Yuusuke's eye twitched. "Anything else?"

"She's been hiding herself in the bathroom, she might have been throwing up, she looks kind of ill and tired when she comes out, she clings."

Yuusuke turned this information over in his head. "Keiko was like that when she was pregnant, except she wasn't homicidal. But Mukuro couldn't be pregnant, could she? I mean, it's not like she's doing the nasty with anyone, right?"

"You'd be surprised," said Hiei, with a slight smirk. "But what does "pregnant" mean?"

Yuusuke looked disgusted. "Who's she doing it with?"

Hiei muttered and looked away, and the smirk and this current expression finally rang a bell with Yuusuke.

"OH MY GOD! YOU HAD SEX WITH _MUKURO_?"

Hiei grunted. "You don't need to share it with the neighborhood."

Yuusuke was freaking out. "Ew! Ew! Ewwwww! That's so nasty! It's almost as bad as the thought of Kuwabara doing it with Yukina!"

"I should hope not!" snarled Hiei. "Now, tell me what "pregnant" means. I am unfamiliar with the word."

"It means that a woman's going to have a baby."

Hiei paled. He should have thought of that, but he had never applied the thought of children to himself and Mukuro. The thought of them as parents was absurd, considering past history. Oh, he was so stupid. He had never brought it up with Mukuro herself, because he had thought maybe the bastard had robbed her of the ability and he didn't need another hole in his gut.

Hiei stared at his hands, and wordlessly left Yuusuke's house. Yuusuke was still in shock himself, so he didn't say anything to stop him. It wasn't till nightfall that Yuusuke recovered, and he was eager to spread the gossip. The first number he dialed was the Kuwabara residence, and Yukina picked up the phone, as she had accustomed herself to human household appliances by now.

"Hello?" she said sweetly.

"Yukina-chan, how's it going? This is Yuusuke."

"Yuusuke-san!" she cried, "It's nice to hear from you! Do you want to speak with Kazuma?"

"Yes."

A pause.

"Oi, Urameshi, what do you want, I was getting ready to spend some alone time with Yukina."

"Gross! But I've got news! Hiei was here, and you'll never guess what happened."

"What do I care what that shorty does?"

"He knocked up Mukuro."

"EHHHHH! No way! That's disturbing!"

"Yeah, and do you know what that means?"

"No, what?"

"You're going to be an uncle!"

---

While Kuwabara was freaking out, Hiei was on his way home. As luck would have it, he ran into Kurama, who carried a bag of groceries from the supermarket. Kurama sensed his presence and sought him out.

"What brought you to this world, Hiei?" asked Kurama mildly.

"I think Mukuro's pregnant," said Hiei simply.

Kurama chuckled mildly. "Congratulations, Hiei." Unlike the rest of the Tantei, Kurama had guessed something was going on between Mukuro and Hiei, and was glad for it, the two seemed to complement each other.

"Do you have a death wish?" growled Hiei.

"No, no. Merely expressing my delight that your relationship with Mukuro seems to be going well."

"What are you talking about? She either wants to cuddle me, fuck my brains out, or kill me at any given moment."

"Isn't that normal?"

"Fuck off, Kurama."

------

To be continued.


	3. Love and Family

**Chapter 3: Love and Family**

Hiei had had better days, when he confronted Mukuro about his suspicions. The fearsome former queen of the Makai had actually fainted, and Hiei frantically called for a doctor. The old medic engaged to care for Mukuro confirmed the hypothesis; Mukuro was indeed carrying his child.

It was a difficult adjustment for Mukuro. She had assumed she was incapable of motherhood, and the very thought had brought up strange, sad feelings. She had, until recently, never been comfortable with the fact she WAS a woman, until Hiei had come into her life and bed. He had made her feel truly glad to be a woman for the first time in her life, through his love and devotion. The way her held her, touched her, kissed her, and looked at her, it was healing to her wounded sexuality.

There was also the issue of the child; she was sure that neither she nor Hiei could love it as much as it truly deserved, but they made a pact to do their hardest to give the child everything in life they had lacked.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

When Mukuro couldn't hide her growing belly any longer, a small riot broke out among her men. They were not happy that they had an even harder job, protecting a woman who was already weakened by love; and now even weaker in order to nourish the child within her womb, and the child could probably be a tyrannical spoiled brat as well. It made the bile rise in their gullets to imagine this, but yet they still respected Mukuro enough to stay loyal, through better or worse, not to mention Hiei would get really, really pissed if he even imagined a mutiny.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Hiei pulled Mukuro into a spooning embrace. His hand drifted to her belly, laying it flat in order to catch any movement from the being inside. He eased his breathing into a slow rhythm, waiting patiently. A slow smile spread across his face as he felt the child stir.

The mother of his child sighed tiredly. The pregnancy was taking its toll on Hiei too; first had been the mood swings, and then came the insatiable appetite for sex and food. Mukuro hadn't been able to stomach anything but human meat in centuries, and suddenly found herself craving the very foods her stomach had rejected. The trusted physician under Mukuro's command speculated that the pregnancy had coaxed her stomach into craving and accepting foods that were of benefit to the developing child, because the scarce diet of human meat and Mukuro's bodily reserves weren't properly nourishing it.

Hiei heard the familiar rumble of her stomach, and rolled out of bed to summon a servant, and place an order for a late night snack. Mukuro watched him mildly from her position on the bed, while he ordered the sustenance for her.

"Come back to bed, Hiei, I'm cold," whispered Mukuro softly.

"I'll be right there," said Hiei, grabbing an extra blanket.

A knock sounded on the door.

"About time," growled Hiei, swinging it open, only to take one look and snarl. "Where's the food!?" he snapped at the servant, nearly making him piss his pants.

"Ah, Hiei-sama, there are visitors, that boy of Raizen's who used to rule his territory, and the former heir of Yomi's."

"What the hell do they want?"

The poor servant didn't get the chance to answer, because the two in question were already peering around him.

"Congratulations, Hiei!" said Yuusuke, shoving a bottle of foul smelling booze that had likely come from that drunkard, Chuu into Hiei's face. "This is for you, and we brought some stuff for Mukuro and the baby, too!"

Hiei stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Hello, Hiei," said Kurama, smiling, and peering past him at Mukuro. "Hello, Mukuro, you're looking well."

Mukuro sat up and grunted, her arms protectively encircling her belly. "You'd better have brought worthy gifts, because if they aren't, you're both going to die," she growled.

"Of course we have," said Kurama. Even Hiei's sister has contributed several gifts."

At the mention of Yukina, Hiei's expression mellowed. "Just go wait in the meeting room down the hall. You, servant, have them bring the food there" he said, slamming the door in their faces. He turned to Mukuro. "Let's just get this out of the way and see what they brought us."

After donning a warm jacket, Mukuro followed Hiei out to the meeting room where there was a decent sized pile of immaculately wrapped presents, beside the food that Hiei had ordered for his mate.

"We decided to give you somewhat of a baby shower," explained Kurama.

"What's a baby shower?" asked Mukuro.

"It's where your friends throw you a party and give you gifts for the new baby," said Yuusuke. "At least this one's gonna be a lot less girly than Keiko's, I nearly gagged at hers."

"Oh," said Mukuro, sitting down. Apparently this idea appealed to her. She reached for the first gift, which turned out to be several sets of sleeper pajamas for the baby when she ripped off the wrapping and opened the box. The tag said it was from Yuusuke and Keiko. Other gifts included a pacifier and bibs from Koenma and Botan, a goofy looking teddy bear from Kuwabara, and a nice maternity sweater for Mukuro from Kurama. The gifts seemed to please Mukuro, much to Yuusuke's relief. The woman was scary when mad, he had heard.

Hiei opened one too, the gift from Yukina. Nestled lovingly inside the box was a hand-knitted pair of baby booties and a very soft, warm baby blanket, also handmade.

"Yukina-chan's very happy for you two," said Kurama, smiling. "She learned to knit just for you guys."

Hiei fingered the soft blanket. It was very much like his sister, soft and comfortable, and even smelled faintly of her.

"Tell her we're grateful," he murmured.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Mukuro became restless as her belly swelled even more, to the point that she resembled a ripe peach about to burst. The constant kicking of the baby kept her awake, so she took to prowling the fortress. On this particular night, she had felt relieved as the baby had settled headfirst into her pelvis, giving her lungs and other innards more room. What she didn't know was that the clock had started ticking, and the child was going to arrive very soon.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Hiei blinked awake when he felt a pair of hands shaking him awake. "Huh? What is it?" he asked groggily.

"I said I'm in labor, you ass!"

"What?"

"THE BABY'S COMING!"

"Shit! Why didn't you just say so!?" he was up in an instant, and ran out, screaming for someone to summon a midwife or doctor or whoever could deliver the baby.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Mukuro-sama, you need to PUSH! This baby's being stubborn about coming out," said the old midwife. Mukuro glared at her, silently cursing the fact that there was no one else to deliver the child if she gave in to her desire to kill the shrew. The old woman didn't even bat an eye; she was far too used to the rage of laboring mothers to care. To her, Mukuro was just another one of them, no more dangerous than the average Makai woman.

Mukuro gritted her teeth and cursed through them, glaring at Hiei like it was his fault she was in this undignified position and in pain. She summoned up what must have been monumental strength, and pushed hard, squeezing out that stubborn entity that had occupied her womb for several months.

Hiei's eyes went nearly perfectly round when he first saw the screeching, flailing creature the midwife held up. The child was not happy about being cold and wet and outside his mother, and was letting everyone know his feelings in an earsplitting wail.

The midwife was all business, tying and snipping the infant's cord and rubbing him dry. She laid the child on Mukuro's breast, and with this, he immediately stopped his squalling, and rooted around for a nipple.

Mukuro forgot her rage at the midwife as she stared at her son, who had hair like his father, and bright blue eyes. He was in a word, innocent. Hiei stared also, already in love with this new creature that had no hardship and hate to corrupt him. He was pure and sweet.

While gazing at his son, the first tear Hiei had ever shed slipped down his cheek. It was all he could do to keep himself from breaking down and sobbing with unbridled joy. From the look on her face as her baby suckled, Mukuro felt the same as he.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The fortress looked the same as it had five years ago, but the atmosphere had changed drastically, in response to the untroubled young life being nurtured within it's walls. The boy called Kiseki was currently engaged in sneaking up on his napping father to pounce on him, his favorite game.

He crept up slowly, and leaped with lightning speed, but Hiei was ready. He caught the projectile boy and ticked him mercilessly.

"You were only pretending to be asleep, Oyaji!" cried the boy between laughs.

"That's right! Now what is your mother doing?"

"She's bringing us something to eat. After lunch, I wanna train!"

"Hn..."

"Please?" Kiseki made a face.

Hiei sighed. He just couldn't deny that face. "Oh all right." The boy cheered, and rand to his mother, who had just appeared with lunch.

"Ofukuro, Oyaji's gonna train me after lunch! You wanna train with us?"

Mukuro smiled at her small son. "Of course."

Watching his excitement, Hiei marveled in the fact that something so pure and innocent had been born to two demons with bloodstained, sorrowful pasts. Life had come full circle for him and his loved ones, even those far away, cared for by loves of their own.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The end! Now review like good peons.

-Kohaku Hoshi


End file.
